Offguard
by Jared
Summary: More attacks are launched on the trio from the circle. An unexpected attack causes the trio to search deep and unleash strengths that they never knew they possessed.


Off-guard  
Jared  
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Disclaimer:  
The following characters belong to Clamp and are borrowed for this fic. Philip, Jeina and the dark council are my creations.  
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"The Circle is gaining too much power. They have destroyed Tereka's power and it is only through luck that his soul still exists. We must destroy them." A hooded man purred, stroking the huge serpent next to him.  
  
"But master…They…they are too strong for us. We…cannot…do not have the power to destroy them." A servant whimpered fearfully.  
  
Instantly, the servant regretted his words. He cowered before the hooded man, shivering in fear. [ Now I've done it. He's going to kill me! How did I even get myself into this?! ]   
  
"So…" the hooded man said calmly, his hand quivering a little from the anger he tried to control. "You cannot destroy them…THEN THERE IS NO USE FOR YOU!" he thundered.  
  
"Please master, forgive me! I will find a way to destroy them! I WILL, I PROMISE!" the man wept, desperately crying for mercy.   
  
"Very well…" the hooded man sighed. He turned his attention back to the serpent. "Go, and make sure you do not fail."  
  
Thankfully, the servant turned to leave. Quick as a flash, the serpent raced forward, and baring its fangs, pounced upon the vein of which life throbbed. The vicious fangs ripped the throat open, and blood poured from the jagged wound. The servant twitched on the ground, his life ebbing slowly from him. Finally, he moved no more.  
  
The snake put its forked tongue out, and slithered slowly back to the chair where the man sat. The scales began to merge, forming first the torso and then the rest of the body of a young girl about 14 years of age.   
  
"You did well." she praised the hooded man sardonically. "This is perfect. No one will believe that you are only a curse dummy, where I am the puppeteer! The circle will be destroyed by this illusion…" She chuckled sinisterly, hatching her evil plans.  
******  
"Class, we have a new student transfer today. This is Jeina Yurie. Let's see. Jeina, why don't you take a seat, there, next to Nokoru."  
  
There was some excited whispering. Nokoru Imonoyama was one of the most popular boys in class. Aside from being one of the best-looking kids in school, Nokoru was also a genius at Physics and Maths as well as the youngest son of the Imonoyama foundation, the organisation funding CLAMP school.   
  
[ I guess that went smoothly. Now, to get his attention. Maybe a little later…] Jeina smiled deviously.  
******  
Nokoru froze. [ I sense evil…trouble…I better contact Philip and Li-kun. But I can't just leave Yurie-san…what am I going to do? ]  
  
Jeina noticed the alarm on Nokoru's face. "Is there anything wrong Nokoru-san?" she asked.  
  
Nokoru shook his head. "No, it's nothing. Sorry. Did you say something?"  
  
"Hai. I was just saying that it was time for me to leave. Thank you so much for taking me around."  
  
"It was a pleasure." Nokoru said, half-bowing. "I'll see you in class tomorrow?"   
  
Jeina nodded in agreement. [ We might meet again sooner than you expect… ]  
******  
"Philip, Li-kun!" Nokoru greeted other two boys. "I'm sorry I'm late." he apologised.   
  
"It's all right." Philip replied. "I guess you sensed it too?" It was more of a statement than a question. "I arrived to find Syaoran here already." he gestured with a quick tilt of his head.  
  
"I've been searching for the source of the disturbance. But I can't find it. But there's no doubt about it. It's coming from Tokyo Tower." Syaoran said.  
  
"Looking for me?" a voice boomed. "How nice of you to drop by." his smooth voice was more than a tad sarcastic. "Here's a little…WELCOME for you." A hooded figure said.  
  
A bolt of lighting launched itself amongst the three, causing them to scatter.  
  
There was a piercing scream. The hooded figure turned and pulled forth the culprit using his powers.   
  
"Yurie-san?!" Nokoru gaped in disbelief.   
  
"Friend of yours I see." The figure said. "Well, you can have this bit of junk back…if you surrender the keys of Juro. Well? Do we have a deal?"   
  
"What do you want with the keys?" Philip asked, trying to distract him.  
  
[ Thank you Philiip. ] Nokoru said silently. It was a common enough ruse. Nokoru would try to take control of the enemy's mind while the others attempted to stall for time until he succeeded. [ Strange…I…I can't break into his mind. He must have very powerful magic to shield it from me. Now what am I to do? ] he asked his companions silently.  
  
[ Don't panic. I'll try to launch a sneak attack. ] Syaoran answered. [ Keep him distracted. ]  
  
Just as Syaoran was going to freeze the hooded man in his position, he turned and threw Jeina at him. "Here, since you seemed so keen about it." he smirked. Jeina and Syaoran landed in a heap. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.  
  
What happened next took all three by surprise. Jeina attacked Syaoran using a powerful beam of negative energy.  
******  
"Philip!" Nokoru nodded towards the fallen brown haired boy. Blood was seeping rapidly through the green robes. His eyes were half-closed, his breath coming in painful gasps. He struggled, trying to get up, but it was apparent to all that he was badly injured.  
  
Philip moved swiftly over to where Syaoran lay, and reaching out with his hand, held his hands over the place where the blood seeped, trying to stop the bleeding. However, the bleeding continued at an alarming rate. Philip shut his eyes, willing the wound to heal, pleading with the fallen boy silently.   
  
[ Come on Syaoran! We don't have much time. I can feel Nokoru tiring. Come on! Hurry! ]   
  
Meanwhile, Nokoru Imonoyama struggled to keep the shield strong. [ We're sitting ducks! Without Syaoran, we're in trouble. Neither Philip nor I have much training in the battle sector. I guess all I can do is hope for the best. Hurry Philip! ] he pleaded silently.  
  
Jeina smirked. [ I guess it was a good idea to attack Syaoran first. Nokoru's not going to hold out much longer. Soon, I will succeed in mission, and I will gain the immortality that I have sought for so long! ]  
******  
[ Who exactly is she? She knows all about our powers. ] Nokoru wondered. Just then, he felt the shield beginning to give way. He bit his lip and concentrated hard, shivering with the strain of the attacks. Jeina merely laughed. "Was that too much for you?" she sneered. "And to think I thought you were a worthy opponent."  
  
Nokoru felt his temper rise. [ Don't fall into her trap…don't fall into her trap…don't fall into her trap… ] he chanted mentally.   
  
"If it weren't because of your incompetence, Syaoran wouldn't be hurt." she continued while attempting to break into the circle. [ Don't fall into her trap…don't fall…in…to… her trap…] It became more and more difficult for Nokoru to keep his anger bottled up. [ I…CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! ] "Arghhhh" he yelled.  
  
[ Perfect. When he loses concentration the shield will weaken…I can finally destroy them! And get the immortality I deserve! ] Jeina licked her lips eagerly. Once more, she focused all of her power on destroying the shield.  
  
To her amazement, a gold light erupted suddenly, and she found herself being thrown backward. [ What in the world? ]   
  
Nokoru was surrounded by the golden light. [ I did THAT?! ] Nokoru was as surprised as her. He heard a sound, and saw Syaoran and Philip walking towards him. Jeina took advantage of his sudden break in concentration and chanted an incantation. She disappeared with a loud poof.  
  
"Sorry we took so long." Philip apologised. "But hey, now we're even. You were late just now, so now's our turn. It's fair and square, eh?" he joked.  
  
Nokoru smiled in return. "Yup. But the bad guys got away."  
  
Philip sobered. "Yes…the dark council is beginning to take us more seriously. The recent attacks are no longer done by amateurs. We'd better be on our guard. We got lucky this time, but we mayn't be so lucky the next time."  
  
The other two nodded in agreement. "Well, that means we need to train much harder." Syaoran said.  
  
Nokoru caught Philip's eye. Philip's green eyes glinted mischievously, a smile tugging at his lips. With one accord, both sprinted away in unison.   
  
"Hey, get back! We've got training to do! Nokoru-kun! Philip!" 


End file.
